Home > Consumer Reviews > Joby GP2-E1EN Gorillapod Flexible Tripod for Digital SLR Cameras

I have had my Gorillapod SLR for only a couple of days and have used it just once. I bought it for use with a Canon 300D with my 17-40mm lens. (Total weight on this setup is unofficially 2.6 lbs.--unfortunately appearing to be .1 lbs. over the maximum weight specified by Joby. But, for my purposes, I'm considering that close enough.) Given this weight, my heavier telephoto lens is out of the question. Of course, I knew that prior to my purchase.

Here are my initial thoughts/tips:

- Make sure you do not associate any of the regular Gorillapod's "demo" photos on Joby's website with the SLR version's--or at least pay close attention to the SLR "demo" photos. Specifically, around poles and trees, you will want the legs to wrap fully around the object. Anything less will lack the necessary strength/grip. This point is self-explanatory in the photos but I personally didn't examine them close enough and I did sort of mix "demo" photos in my mind when building my expectations. (Call me an idiot but I was slightly curious if the "Gorillapod-helmet" would work. It--perhaps obviously--will not. I don't think I'd even trust it with my Canon A610 digicam. :) But, I broke out a ski pole and the Gorillapod will definitely be secure on the thin pole. An aspen trunk? Maybe if it's a young tree. A swing set pole? Again, a thin one is likely to work.)

- The Gorillapod seems to have a "sweet spot"--in a traditional tripod stance--where it is just fine and seems perfect. Yet, a slight movement lower causes gravity to win the battle and pull the whole thing down in the middle. A movement in the opposite direction seems to make the Gorillapod unstable--too upright perhaps and ready to topple. If, in the future, Joby could implement some form of "parital leg lock," this issue could be solved.

- My next use of the Gorillapod will be for mountain summit photos and an accompanying hike this weekend. The Gorillapod's "feet" are pretty "sticky"--that is, they're basically like a no-slip Vibram sole. So, I think the Gorillapod will do just fine on 14ers/13ers and on lake rocks, boulder fields, etc.--especially in the traditional 3-leg tripod setup. Gorillapod competitors seem likely to struggle on uneven rocks so I'm feeling good about the Gorillapod in this use.

- I bought the Gorillapod because I thought it was the best option I have seen on the market for throwing in a Camelbak--be it for skiing, hiking, or biking. (My other tripod is a 7.2 lb. Gitzo. I've lugged it around on a hut trip and backpacking trip--sans a few leg sections to shave weight. The Gorillapod will suffice from now on, I believe.) When I took the Gorillapod out today for some shooting, I just put it on the camera and carried the camera with it on--the camera being on my shoulder. I walked to a park and didn't really even notice it. The Gorillapod really does weigh almost nothing.

- The Gorillapod makes a nice "monopod" when used with three legs straight down.

- My 22 month old son loves it. So, at worse, it's a great infant toy for improving motor skills.

- Don't worry about the Gorillapod's camera attachment. It's solid.

- I have a buddy with an Ultrapod. I bought the Gorillapod thinking I had way superior technology despite an over doubling of price. Turns out I probably have merely equivalent but cuter functionality. Also, that buddy has a Canon 10D. The Gorillapod only makes sense for Rebel users in Canon's digital SLR lineup--preferably users with the 18-55 kit lens.

In summary, I would call myself satisfied but not overjoyed. I think it is at least equivalent to the alternatives if not slightly better. But, it is not quite revolutionary. And, keep in mind, these are my first impressions following a single use of it. It didn't knock my socks off but I think I can make it work.

I give it a 4-star rating because I will also use it with my A610 digicam. It should be excellent with that camera when compared to the digicam Gorillapod. 3-stars is likely fitting for use with my SLR (given the sweet spot issue, 2.5 lb. limitation, and slightly elevated cost). But, 3-stars seems low. So, consider my rating a 3.5 and I'm rounding up.

This thoughtful piece of interlocking spheres, reminiscent of a toy my kids used to have - I played also - , makes a great companion for the Canon G3 I have, given both its weight and remote control functions. I first saw the smaller model but wanted a wide enough base to shoot vertically at stars for ex. This hit that sweet spot for me. Also, the unit's rigidity allows it to become a "handle" wielding the camera-head, hatchet-like.

I am expecting it to outlast the earth it's on, given its polymer base.

I would like to have taken this next step from the toys of twenty years ago! This is design engineering at its best.

Joby GP2-01P Gorillapod (large model)

We've converted exclusively to digital, so the 1 kilo weight limitation is not an issue for my family's use. Since I'm generally the pack mule for the group, I like the size and weight. My primary uses are when we're at the family's ranch, when hunting or other "way out" areas that make carrying a "real" tripod less than optimal.

Comments from the previous reviewer indicated that he'd has some problems getting the 'pod to attach to larger diameter objects. I've used it out in the boonies to "grab" a large variety of goodies, rocks, tree stumps, ledges, even a telephone pole. My daughter has since made it her mission to attach the unit (w. camera) to everything she encounters. This has included light standards for street lights, all the variety of street sign poles (thick and thing), road markers

Like some other reviewers, I've lugged 5-pound, complicated-to-get-just-right tripods around for decades. Never again. This thing holds my Nikon D70 just fine. It barely breaks a sweat when I put my completely manual, circa 1970s Nikon FM on it.
I have a Sigma 70-250 mm zoom, and it holds the FM and the lense just fine. I have not put any large telephoto lenses on my D70 because I can't seem to get the vaunted telephotos available for it (that's a whole other story).
Nor have I wrapped this GorillaPod around any telephone poles or fenceposts. I've never needed to, and probably won't.
But for steadying your camera, and for timed shutter release shots (usually the family and me), it is unparalleled. It's light, seems bulletproof, and absolutely ingenious.
Strongly, strongly recommended.

Aside from the fact that it does just what it's supposed to, the best thing about the Gorillapod is that people (mostly attractive wimmin for some reason) constantly wander up with a puzzled look and ask "What IS that thing?" Big help for us old, fat, bald guys. :)

That said, this is not a replacement for a full size or desktop tripod. It's for doing all that stuff that your other devices won't (or can't 'cause you left 'em behind because they were too heavy and clumsy to lug around).

For instance, on a couple of Key West trips I've used it to mount the Nikon D50 and later the D80 on: fences, marina railings, boat railings and masts, parking meters, umbrella posts, a cash register, park benches and lamp posts at Mallory Square and entirely too many bar rails. On a recent trip to a wild animal park I used it on fences, cage bars, tree limbs, and several car doors. In Maine this summer I shot waterbirds from a stone piling, the Portland Harbor from a pipe on the roof of a parking garage and the park and bay at the east end from a mount on a cannon barrel.

It's also very handy for long exposure night shots, dark rooms, sunsets, etc., that normally scream for that tripod you left at the hotel. To say nothing of when you crank that 300mm zoom out to the stops and the pulse in your hand blurs your shots.

The SLR version mounts to the camera body and you can buy additional mounting plates so it's easy to swap from one camera to another with a push of a button. The SLR Zoom version mounts to the long lens for better balance but doesn't use the quick release mount.

It's great little tool but be careful with it. It's not as stable as a regular tripod when it's just sitting on its legs (although it's easy to balance)and you can overload it with a heavy camera/lens/flash combo. Keep that strap around your neck if you can.